Keystone XL Is My Favorite Topic

Wilson Perkins Allen Opinion Research Blog Series

I have to admit that the Keystone XL Pipeline is my favorite issue to talk about (I like energy issues what can I say), however my frustration with the project has grown over the past couple of weeks due to more delays, of course brought on by the Democratic machine in Washington. Despite the typical rhetoric that comes out their mouths, building the Keystone Pipeline will benefit the country profoundly by adding jobs to our struggling economy.

Construction of the pipeline would generate 20,000 jobs immediately, and according to the Canadian Energy Research Institute (CERI), the Keystone project will add $172 billion to America’s gross domestic product by 2035 and will create an additional 1.8 million person-years of employment in the United States over the next 22 years.

Currently the United States relies on imports for almost half of its oil demand; the increased supply from the Keystone Pipeline will assuredly have a positive effect on gasoline prices in the United States.

According to the Energy Information Administration approximately two-thirds of the price of gasoline is determined by the global market price of crude oil. Building the Pipeline will strengthen the partnership with our neighbors to the north, cut the need to get oil from countries that do not like us and allow the United States to have a profound impact on global energy demands, with the Pipeline delivering over 800,000 additional barrels of oil per day to the U.S.

Although the there is a lot of evidence that supports the notion that the Keystone project will be very beneficial to the country, Obama has done a great job of politicizing the issue by deliberately delaying the Keystone project in fear that his decision will upset his political allies in Washington.

Moreover, the project has been studied extensively for the past five years, and the Pipeline has been proclaimed to be the safest way to transport oil. Even the U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz stated “What we probably need is more of a pipeline infrastructure and to diminish the need for rail transport over time. Frankly, I think pipeline transport overall probably has overall a better record in terms of cost, in terms of emissions and in terms of safety.”

Now is not the time to stall Keystone for the purpose of avoiding political repercussions. I and many other approve of the Keystone XL Pipeline and will continue to support the project, which will ultimately create jobs and lower gas prices without harming the environment.